


Team Natsu

by tsukithewolf



Series: Promises of the Sea - A Fairy Tail Pirate AU [5]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pre-Promises of the Sea, slight romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4975381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukithewolf/pseuds/tsukithewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The history of Team Natsu</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Age 6 and 7

**Author's Note:**

> I need more fluffy NaLu in my life and frankly this fandom needs more of it as well so here we go.

Their story began years ago when Lucy had been only six. 

It was fairly early in the morning –early enough that the sun hadn’t even fully risen yet, Lucy remembered- when a butler had come for her and had shaken her awake. He claimed that he was taking the family to the docks for a trip and that Lucy needed to come with him immediately. Lucy had been young and groggy at the time and hadn’t questioned the butler as she slipped on her sandals and followed him. He had held her hand as he led her quietly through the still-sleeping mansion and into a carriage.

It was only once the carriage was out of the castle gates and moving quickly away from the main roads did Lucy realize that her parents weren’t with her.

“Where are Momma and Papa?” She asked the butler. The man hadn’t responded. His back had been tense and his grip on the horse’s reins tight. Lucy shrunk in on herself worried and unsure of anything. Her parents weren’t there and the carriage was too fast. She hadn’t even thought to bring Aquarius’s key with her.

She wasn’t sure how long they had been travelling but the sun had risen. She must have drifted off when suddenly the carriage jerked to a stop and the horse cried out in protest. She was flung forward and landed hard on the ground. Tears sprang to her eyes and she jumped to her feet to hear voices yelling.

 _I need to get home!_ She thought and threw open the carriage door to see the butler being questioned by some men –maybe guards? Lucy didn’t remember. All she could think about was getting away. Her parents and teachers had warned her about bad people and even though this butler hadn’t tried to hurt her, she wasn’t supposed to leave the castle without her parents.

The butler yelled at her as she ran off into the forest, her sandals slapping against the ground.

The forest had been a blur around her. Despite the sun being up there were still many menacing shadows. She hadn’t been anywhere outside of the castle before that wasn’t the town and certainly not alone. The looming trees and the scraggly bushes scared her. Her heart was rapidly beating in her chest and small sobs broke through her panting. A branch caught the hem of her nightgown and she screamed a little as she yanked on it. She could hear something pursuing her. The butler? The men? A bear? A wolf?

“Momma!!” She cried and finally ripped the hem of her dress with a sharp tug. The force of it knocked her backwards and she slid down a hill into what looking to be a pit. Plants along the edges had been burnt and the trees nearby broken. Her sandal had snapped when it had bent badly between her foot and the ground and her hands and knees hurt. Her cheek stung and felt wet with tears and when she wiped at it dirt and blood smeared.

Lucy sat on the ground in the bottom of the pit and sobbed loudly into her knees. She was cold, hurt, and alone. There were bad things after her and she just wanted her Momma.

“Mommaaaa!” She wailed.

“Hey!” Lucy’s head shot up in fear at another’s voice and she stared with wide eyes as another set of eyes met hers. He couldn’t have been much older than her and had dark pink-almost red hair. His face was bruised and battered but his grey eyes still glared at her. Despite it being early summer, he had a scarf around his neck and wore a long-sleeved red shirt. “Who are you yelling at? I’m trying to train here!”

“Aye!” Lucy startled at the kitten dancing around the boy’s feet. It stared at her cheerfully as its blue-grey tail waved lazily above it. It took Lucy a few moments to realize the cat didn’t actually talk and was really a meow.

Lucy whimpered a little and curled up around her knees more. “I want my Momma.” She said. “But I’m stuck in this hole!”

The boy frowned at her, his glare softening in confusion. “Then why don’t you just come out?”

“I can’t!” Lucy protested.

“Have you tried?” The boy demanded. Lucy glared sulkily at him. No she hadn’t tried.

“But I hurt myself!” 

“Let me see!” The boy called and edged himself down the slope. He slid a few inches before hopping down to the ground. The kitten pounced after him.

“You idiot!” Lucy cried with a hiccup. “Now we’re both stuck down here!” Fresh tears began to build in her eyes and she sobbed once. They were both stuck and were going to starve and she would have to eat a CAT for food!!

“Aw no we aren’t!” The boy waved her crying away and kneeled next to her to look at her legs. Blood was lazily streaking its way through the dirt on her calves. “And stop crying already! It isn’t that bad.”

“Aye!” The kitten agreed and purred as it rubbed against her arm. Lucy couldn’t resist petting the kitten and found it soothing. She sniffled again and had almost relaxed when the boy prodded one of her wounds and she yelped before instinctively slapping him.

“OW!” He cried and fell back onto his rump as he rubbed his head and glared sulkily at her.

“That hurt!” She yelled.

“You didn’t have to hit me!”

“You didn’t have to poke my knee!”

They glowered at each other silently for a few moments before the boy stood back up and held his hands out to her. “Well let’s get out of here already! You want to find your mom, right?”

Lucy wasn’t sure how to feel about the boy but she certainly felt much better having someone close to her age with her. It was better than an unknown adult. She nodded to him and took his hands before allowing him to pull her to her feet.

“Ow…” She whimpered as her legs buckled a little under her. The boy held her firmly though until she regained her footing. “It really hurts.” 

“Don’t worry! I’ll take you back to the old man! He’ll patch you right up just like he does all of us!” The boy told her cheerfully and led her to one of the softer looking slopes.

“Old man?” Lucy asked.

“Uh-huh!” The boy replied and let her go before scrambling up the slope. His feet slipped a bit but he made it up almost effortlessly. Lucy gaped. He was like a monkey! “Come on!” The kitten climbed up Lucy’s nightgown onto her shoulder and rubbed against her neck purring loudly in encouragement.

“I can’t do that!” She told him.

“Try!”

Lucy had never needed to climb things. She had never been off the castle grounds unescorted and had never played with children her age before. She wasn’t even used to being this dirty let alone hurt! But she only had this boy and his kitten to rely on and she didn’t want to be left alone in this place so she needed to try. Lucy steeled herself and looked around before digging her fingers into the hardened dirt and started to climb. The dirt crumbled every step of the way and in many parts were soft. Her last shoe got stuck somewhere and she had to abandon it or risk slipping back down. The climb had been daunting and to her six-year-old mind she felt like she was climbing a mountain. Halfway up she began to slide back down.

“Help!!” She cried out and the boy jerked forward to grab her arm. Together they managed to pull and scramble their way up until Lucy was finally back on the ground panting next to the boy.

“Man, you’re heavy.” He griped. 

“Shut up!!” She yelled at him, offended and embarrassed. 

He got up and helped her back to her feet. Her knees were throbbing more than ever. “Come on, then.” He said to her. “Let’s head back to the house!”

“Princess Lucy!” Lucy froze and turned her head to see the butler. His hair was messy and the legs of his trousers dirty but despite that his eyes were dark and in his hands he carried a metal bar and a rope. Lucy’s eyes widened at the sight of him. “There you are, Princess!” The butler called with a falsely relieved tone. “I’m so glad I found you!”

“Your dad?” The boy asked her. Lucy shook her head and took a step back. She gripped his shirt sleeve tightly. The boy frowned at her obvious fear and turned back to the butler.

“Come with me now so I can take you back.” The butler coaxed.

“No!” Lucy shook her head again. “You can’t trick me!”

“I only want what’s best for you, Princess.”

“Hey! She said no, moron!” The boy shouted. He spread his body further in front of her protectively and Lucy stared at him in surprise.

The butler glared coldly at him, though. He continued to approach from around the pit. “This isn’t your concern, boy. Step away from the princess!”

“Princess, smincess! You’re not getting anywhere near her!” The boy tore away from Lucy and charged at the butler, jumping in the air and throwing a punch. The butler yelped as he fell to the ground with the boy on top of him. Lucy gaped as the boy savagely attacked the butler, punching his face and kicking the man in the side. The man slammed a fist into the boy’s stomach, winding him, and kicked him away. Before the boy could recover the butler swung the bat and sent the boy flying.

“No!” Lucy cried as his body hit a tree hard, his head cracking against the trunk. Lucy’s stomach churned in horror at the sound and the kitten on her shoulder hissed. The butler climbed to his feet and wiped the blood from his swollen lips as his mouth twisted and he grabbed the back of the boy’s shirt and lifted him into the air. The boy groaned softly and his eyes fluttered open blearily. He came back to himself a little as the butler shook him.

“You fucking brat!” The butler cried and held him away from his body as the boy began to struggle. “I’ll kill you for this! I don’t care if you’re a kid!” 

Lucy’s legs trembled as she watched helplessly. The man was going to kill him! Her parents had always warned her of the dangers outside of the walls but she hadn’t realized how terrible they truly were. She was scared. Part of her wanted to run while she could but she couldn’t leave the boy to his fate. He had helped her when he hadn’t needed to. This was her fault and she needed to help.

Her back straightened as her determination solidified. She couldn’t do much but she could still try!

Lucy roared as she charged the man and slammed into the back of his legs. He stumbled against the impact and dropped the boy who landed on his side and rolled away. Lucy didn’t hesitate and sunk her teeth into the man’s thigh hard as she scratched at his back and stomach under his shirt. The man screamed and grabbed Lucy’s hair to yank hard. Lucy cried out, releasing the man’s leg and clutched at his hand.

“Let go!!” She screeched digging her nails into his hand.

“I don’t think so!” The kidnapper tightened his grip. The kitten spat and jumped at the man’s face and clawed at it. The man shrieked and released her to swat at the kitten desperately.

“Lucy! Happy! Move!” Lucy heard the boy cry and she didn’t hesitate to duck down and away. She didn’t see if the kitten listened as well before she heard “FIRE DRAGON’S ROAR!!” and a ball of fire roar past where she had just moved from. The heat itself was intense making every hair on her body stand on end and her eyes water before they engulfed the butler. The man screamed in pain but Lucy didn’t have time to stare before a hand grabbed hers and pulled her to her feet. “Run!” The boy yelled and the two of them took off into the forest. 

Rocks and sticks stabbed at Lucy’s bare feet as she ran. Her dress caught on branches and tore away and she barely managed to dodge around the trees fast enough as they raced away from the kidnapper. Adrenaline kept her going as well as the hand tugging her along. She had never run so fast before in her life. Her heart was in her throat and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. But she kept running until finally her legs gave out under her and she collapsed with a cry. 

The boy let go of her hand and look around them –searching for any followers? - before he too collapsed back onto the ground panting. “Ohhhh man that was close.” He huffed and threw his arm over his eyes. A little rustling in the bushes snapped his attention to there but it was just the kitten catching up to them. The boy seemed relieved. 

Lucy began to sob in earnest again, burying her face in her hands. “You killed him!”

The boy gaped at her. “You’re mad because I saved us?” He asked incredulously.

“You didn’t have to kill him!”

“He’s probably not dead!” He denied. “I wasn’t aiming to kill! He’s just a little charred!”

Lucy sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Not dead?”

“No!” The boy seemed offended. “And what does it matter! He was trying to hurt us!” Lucy still didn’t want him dead but decided not to voice that thought. After all, he had a point. She nodded instead and hiccupped a couple more tears before she calmed some.

“Um, thank you. For saving me.” She said after a few moments.

The boy grinned at her. “You’re welcome! But why was he after you?”

Lucy pulled up a little bit of grass as the kitten danced between her arms. She scooped it up and cuddled it close as fine tremors continued to go through her body. “I don’t know. I think he wanted to take me far away from my Momma and Papa.”

The boy frowned seriously at her. “Then it’s a good thing we kicked his ass!” Lucy tried not to be scandalized by his foul language and nodded in agreement. “You should come with us back to our house!”

“Where the old man is?” Lucy guessed.

“Uh-huh!” The boy said and stood up. Lucy followed suit and took his hand when he held it out to her. “He’ll take good care of you and get you home!”

“…Okay!” Lucy agreed. This boy had saved her twice now. She felt that she could trust him. It was better than getting stuck out here alone, after all! “Oh, by the way!” She asked, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Natsu!” Natsu told her and tugged her along. “And that’s Happy!”

“Aye!” The kitten meowed.

“And you’re Lucy, right?” 

“Yes!” Lucy agreed and felt a little bit happy about not being called “princess” again. 

“Well come on, Lucy! Let’s go!”

Lucy didn’t know what happened to the butler, if he was captured or killed or what, but in a way she was glad to have been kidnapped that day. Without it, Team Natsu would have never formed and she would’ve never met her best friends.


	2. Ages 9 and 10

Lucy hated whenever her mom went to Celestial Island for work and left her at the castle. She didn’t dislike her father but he was often grumpy –especially without mom there to keep his temper in check- and he didn’t like to play with Lucy. Even Aquarius refused to play with her seeing as there was a meeting on Celestial Island of all the Golden Lords and Ladies. And so Lucy was stuck in the castle with only her dolls and servants to play with and while she loved the servants she had, she wanted people closer to her age to play with.

Lucy sniffled once and stared at the mess of rice scattered on the tray across from her on the bedside table. Her Papa had been working hard the past couple of days to take care of everything on his own and hadn’t been joining her for dinners so she had thought to try to feed him. Maybe they could have a birthday snack together? But he had been furious at her interruption and instead had flung the plate away. Lucy had cowered on the floor, heartbroken and terrified of her father’s anger as she hurried to pick up the remnants of the destroyed rice balls. Her father had flinched at the sight of her and made an aborted motion to soothe her but turned away as the servants rushed Lucy away.

Now she was alone in her room. The ticking of the clock passed the time. It wasn’t very late –the sun was still plenty high in the sky- but Lucy didn’t want food. She didn’t want to be alone but she didn’t want company. She didn’t want to be in her stupid room anymore. She wanted her Momma and she wanted out of this castle and she wanted to get off this stupid island! She wanted her Papa to hug her and apologize! She turned her face into her pillow and hiccupped a sob trying to bite back on her sorrow.

Through the fluff of her pillow she began to hear muffled voices. She frowned and focused on them wondering if they were servants coming to fetch her again.

“-o, you-!”

“Hey! Watch th-”

“This really isn’t-“

“Shut up!”

Lucy’s head shot up. That wasn’t the servants but she recognized those voices. Quietly she climbed out of bed and approached where she last heard the voices before a knock startled her. She froze.

“Psst!” Lucy turned her head to see Natsu grinning at her from outside of her window. He was wavering back and forth as if on a ship and waved at her. “Open the window, Luce!”

“Natsu!” She hissed and ran to the window to unlatch it and open it. Natsu hauled himself over the window ledge (“OW! You bastard!” Came a cry from out of the window) and landed with a small thump on the floor. “What are you doing here?” She thrust her head out of the window to look down and gaped at the sight of her friends all on each other’s shoulders. At the top was Gray with the faint imprint of a shoeprint on his forehead and a fierce glare. Below him was Erza and below _her_ was Jellal. “What are you-?” She began again when she was interrupted. 

“No time!” Natsu said and pushed her onto the ledge. “We gotta go before the guards catch us!”

“Natsu, I’m not wearing any-Hey! Stop pushing!” Lucy screeched a little as she almost toppled out the window.

“Watch it, Natsu!” Erza called, alarmed.

“Stop trying to push the princess to her death, you flame-brain!” Gray agreed.

“Can we please hurry?” Jellal’s faint voice called from the bottom of the tower. “You all aren’t exactly light.” A thin sheen of sweat covered his face.

“Yeah, hurry up Luce!” Natsu demanded ignoring the others.

“Okay hang on! Where are we going?” Lucy asked but got off the ledge. She rushed over to her dresser and pulled on a pair of shorts and tucked the edge of her dress into it. She looked a little ridiculous with her fancy dress all wrinkled and tucked in but it was better than exposing herself to everyone. She rejoined Natsu at the ledge.

“We’re going to celebrate!” Natsu said and began to climb down his friends. Lucy saw Gray shove an elbow into Natsu’s stomach and Natsu growled about retaliate when Erza yanked on his leg and he toppled to the ground with a yelp. 

“Celebrate?” Lucy asked softly. Gray held his arms out to her.

“It’s your birthday, right? We wanted to throw a party for you.” He explained. Lucy grabbed onto him and he held her firm as she shifted to his back and Jellal began to shakily kneel down. Gray scrambled down with Lucy clinging to him and jumped the last few feet before the tower toppled.

Jellal groaned a little and Erza gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. “I’ll be the bottom next time.” She promised him. He made a face but didn’t respond. 

“Wait, how did you know that?” Lucy asked even as she hugged everyone. 

“Natsu told us.” Erza said and hugged her tightly to her chest. Lucy winced as she was pressed to the teenager’s armored chest. She didn’t really understand why the fourteen-year-old insisted on wearing armor constantly when she could just requip on armor but it was her choice. Nonetheless having your face pressed against the metal in an enthusiastic hug from someone with the strength to crush you wasn’t very fun. 

“We made cake and everything!” Natsu said from where he was watching everything. When Erza had released Lucy he threw himself at her and gripped her shoulders. “So you have to come with us!”

“I can’t just leave the castle, though…” Lucy protested half-heartedly.

“We’ll bring you back.” Jellal promised as he recovered and stood up. Lucy smiled at him seeing the boy. He was also older than her by five years but like Erza he took time to play with the younger children like her. Though friendly he was a bit reserved. She was rather surprised he joined in on this kidnapping.

“Maybe tomorrow, but we’ll bring you back.” Gray smirked. Gray was the same age as Natsu making them both a year older than Lucy and also rivals. The ice mage was rather new to Makarov’s orphanage in the recent years. He had been quiet and mostly angry at everyone –especially Natsu because Natsu was particularly aggravating to people he wanted to open up. He tended to help work off Gray’s anger over the loss of his mentor with their fighting and through Lucy’s relationship with Natsu she became close friends to the boy.

“Speaking of which,” Erza interrupted and looked over towards the castle’s guard wall to see people rushing about, “I think it’s time to leave.”

“Shit! Hurry, Luce!” Natsu cried and grabbed her hand before they all raced away. Lucy couldn’t stop giggling as they ran dodging behind items to hide and ducking into time crevices that Lucy would’ve never thought to look for in all the years she had lived there. Her friends were ridiculous and she felt better already. She didn’t need her Momma to be happy when she had friends like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short.


	3. Ages 12 and 13

Cool evening air flowed in from the open balcony as Lucy entered her room. The heat of the bathroom billowed out in warm puffs of moist mist curled around her feet. Lucy sighed as she finished tucking her hair up into her towel and shivered slightly. Why was the balcony door open so late? It was well past dinner time and the final sun’s rays were fading on the horizon. The sound of the ocean, far off but never out of hearing, wafted in on the breeze. She moved over to the door to close it. Maybe one of the servants opened it for some fresh air. Lucy drew the curtains and finally stripped off her towel to finish drying herself-

“Yo Luce!” A voice called just as another cleared their throat.

Lucy shrieked and flung herself back against the doors as she quickly moved to cover her body with her towel. There on her couch was Natsu beaming and giving a one-handed wave as Gray sat across from him and saluted her casually. Gray was only a little more dressed than Lucy herself was. Happy looked his namesake as he padded his way across Natsu’s legs to flop down next to him on his back.

“What are you doing here?!” She screamed. 

“Came to visit!” Natsu said cheerfully.

“GET OUT!!” Lucy screamed and began to throw everything nearby at them. The boys both yelped and ran for cover as book after book was thrown. The two of them dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door right before a boot hit the wood.

“Princess!” An insistent knocking filled the air as the guards arrived. “We heard screaming! Are you alright?”

Lucy was flushed with mortification and buried her face in her hands. “I’m fine!” She called somewhat weakly. “I just…I saw some bugs!”

“…Would you like any help?” One of the guards asked doubtfully.

“I’m fine!” She called again this time getting annoyed. She just wanted to get dressed! “Leave me!”

“Yes, you highness!” Both guards responded. Lucy sighed and took advantage of being alone to hurry and dress in a large tee and some shorts. As she dressed she heard some quiet voices from the bathroom,

“Hey, these are actually pretty cute.” Gray muttered.

“What the hell is this thing?” Natsu asked.

“Aye!” Happy meowed. 

“Natsu, don’t-Agh, whatever.” 

Lucy threw open the door once she was safely dressed and pinned both boys with a glare. Gray and Natsu froze –Gray sitting on the edge of the bathtub and Natsu on the ground- with wide eyes, caught. Lucy’s eyes narrowed in on what was on Natsu’s head.

“That’s my bra!!” She shrieked and tackled him. Natsu cried out and struggled as Lucy battered him with hands and elbows in an effort to get her underwear out of Natsu’s claws. She was sure her face was on fire from humiliation and anger. Why, oh WHY, was she friends with such idiots?!

“Wait! You didn’t tell me you were secretly a ninja!” Natsu complained as he wrestled with the enraged girl. She slapped her palm fully onto his face causing him to yelp in pain as his nose was crushed to his face. Gray stood up well out of the way of the tussle smirking at the trouble Natsu was in.

“That’s not-JUST GIVE IT BACK!!” She yelled not even bothering to correct him. She yanked the bra from his head and kicked him hard in the rump sending him tumbling out of the bathroom door. Gray burst into laughter as Lucy gathered up her soiled clothes and held them close glaring at both

“Don’t think you’re off the hook!” Lucy told him. Gray stopped laughing at that and opened his mouth –possibly to defend himself- when his foot slipped on the wet porcelain of the bathtub and he tumbled backwards knocking his head hard against the wall. Lucy gasped but Natsu cackled from where he had recovered.

“Serves you right, ice-head!”

Gray scowled and rubbed his head as he began to try to climb out of the bathtub to save whatever dignity he had left. Lucy sighed in relief to see that he was alright and quickly left the bathroom to dispose of her dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Behind her Natsu continued to mock Gray until the boys were once again fighting. Happy purred and rubbed up against Lucy’s legs in greeting. She allowed the two to bicker for a few more minutes before demanding,

“What are you two doing here? You can’t just barge into my room like this!”

“Your door was open!” Natsu protested, finally coming to a rest. Gray moved away from him to sit back in the armchair rubbing his shoulder. He formed some ice in his hand and held it against the back of his head to soothe some of the pain. 

“That isn’t an invitation to come in!” Lucy said. “I was taking a bath!”

“So?” Natsu asked.

“So you can’t-you can’t just come in! _Especially_ when I’m taking a bath!”

“What does it matter?” Natsu demanded, “We took baths together all the time when we were little!”

Lucy flushed remembering some of those baths. Usually they happened here at the castle –in Lucy’s parents’ room because of the absurdly large tub but also so her parents could keep an eye on things from the bedroom- but they had bathed together a few times at Makarov’s house. It usually ended up with water everywhere and sometimes with Lucy crying because Natsu made the bath too hot.

“That’s when we were little! We’re too old to see each other naked now!”

“I don’t see the problem.” Natsu grumbled. “We still take a bath with Erza.” Lucy personally thought Erza was a special case. She wasn’t much more aware of her being a woman –fully grown with a large bust and shapely figure to match- anymore than Natsu was aware that he was a boy and they were all going through puberty. Lucy was practically a woman now too!

“To be fair,” Gray interrupted, “we didn’t know you were in the bath when we came in.”

“You guys need to stop invading my room to begin with!” Lucy whined and gave up to go sit on the couch. Natsu hopped over the head of the couch to land beside her.

“And miss out on how fun it is?” He asked, knocking his shoulder against hers.

“I wouldn’t call it ‘fun’.” She muttered. “You just want food.”

“Well, yeah! But we came to see you too!”

“Subtle, idiot.” Gray muttered under his breath almost too soft for Lucy to hear.

Natsu ignored him. “So when do you have dinner?”

“I already had dinner.” Lucy said feeling a bit smug at ruining his idea. Natsu groaned.

“Oh come onnnn! I’m hungry!”

“Aye!” Happy agreed from his pitiful position of hanging over the couch’s arm. He stared woefully at her.

“You act like Master Makarov doesn’t feed you!” Lucy said. 

“Your food is better!” 

“Can you get snacks or something?” Gray asked looking slightly put-out as well. Lucy sighed and felt a little bad for her friends. Makarov may be able to feed all of them but that didn’t mean all of the food was good quality. Most of what they have they grew or raised themselves. Anything else they had to trade for. That’s what happened when you lived on a farm on the farther outskirts of town. She didn’t really understand why her friends always came all this way to sneak into the castle (although at this point after nearly seven years the guards were rather getting used to the rascals breaking and entering to see their princess) and then head back home but her heart always warmed to see them. It’s not like she could go to them after all. Her parents didn’t usually let her off the castle grounds without escorts. 

“….I suppose so.” She conceded and both boys hooted a little in excitement. Natsu threw his arms around Lucy’s shoulders and the girl blushed lightly.

“You’re the best, Luce!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Lucy quickly pushed him off and ignored Gray’s knowing look before she got up to go to the door. It was hard being a teenager! Her hormones made everything so confusing and Gray looking like that didn’t help! Lucy placed a hand over her heart and took a deep breath before she distracted herself with ordering snacks. She would look into the suddenly rapid pace of her heart later.


	4. Ages 12 (and 1/3) and 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-Team Natsu in the aftermath of Jellal's betrayal.

Lucy hadn’t seen her friends in over a month.

Jellal went mad and he threatened to destroy the nearby islands. Erza had gone after him and had come back injured and without an eye. Part of the island had been wrecked. Lucy could still remember the horrifying discovery as she went with the other Makarov orphans to find both of the teenagers. Erza’s face had been covered with blood as dark as her hair. The stench of it still lingered in Lucy’s nose and made her shudder in remembrance. 

Natsu had been furious. Never before had she seen her friend so angry. Lucy herself had never been so angry. How _dare_ Jellal do this to Erza? How could he do this to any of them? Gray and Lucy had to physically try to restrain Natsu from going off after Jellal –he was far too strong- but Natsu had broken away and ran off to take revenge. Gray and Lucy had followed and ended up joining Natsu to fight Jellal.

Midway through the battle Lucy had been knocked out and thrown into the sea.

When she had awoken she was back at Makarov’s house.

_“Master…?” Lucy murmured. Her head was throbbing and by the weight on her arm she was certain it was broken. Makarov blinked in surprise to see her awake and sighed in relief._

_“Lucy.” He said and placed a hand on the girl’s head. He stroked her hair out of her face once before dropping it. His eyes were solemn and tight, no doubt hurting over his children. Something in Lucy’s throat tightened and her eyes watered._

_“Master…What happened? Where is everyone?”_

_“They’re fine…for the most part.” He lowered his gaze and gripped the edge of the bed. His arms trembled with either fear or anger. Perhaps it was both. “Jellal has left to who-knows-where. Not long after you three went after him, Erza awoke and followed. We found you washed up on the beach with Gray watching over you. Apparently Jellal, Erza, and Natsu were fighting on a nearby island.”_

_Lucy stared at him. She didn’t remember any of it. “Natsu and Erza…are they-?”_

_“Worse for wear but alive.” The “for now” was left unsaid but Lucy heard it anyway. She gave a small cry and Makarov gripped her uninjured hand._

_“Master-!” She whimpered._

_“Shh, Lucy. Your parents are on their way. Apparently the King and Queen aren’t too happy about the damage to their island.” He said a little ruefully._

_“Can I see them, first?”_

_“They’re not to have any visitors yet, the doctors say.” He squeezed her hand again. “I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as they give the okay.”_

But her parents had refused to let her go see them. Lucy had been badly injured helping fight Jellal and the King had been filled with anger and grief. The Queen, although she loved Erza and Natsu as well, had sided with him worrying that Jellal would come after her again. Lucy had tried to protest but she didn’t have any definitive proof that Jellal _wouldn’t_ come after her. After all, he had tried to destroy the island once. Had Erza not interfered the first time, who knows what would have happened? 

But Lucy still desperately wanted to see her friends. How was Erza feeling about all of this? The betrayal of Jellal must have struck her hard. They were, after all, lovers. Or at least, everyone thought they were. Whether their relationship had been real or not was moot point now. Lucy wanted to be there for her friend.

And what about Natsu? Both he and Erza were nearly killed. She didn’t know the full story because she wasn’t allowed to visit but what little she heard through letters –Natsu eating something that filled him with power but should have killed him, Erza almost sacrificing herself, the ground they had been fighting on broken off from the mainland and destroyed out at sea because of the resulting battle- filled her heart with terror. 

It was late and Lucy had finished her studies in the library. It had taken her long to even focus enough to read with all of her thoughts floating around in her head. A month since she had heard any news or seen her friends. Normally by now one of them would have invaded her room –and she actually missed walking into her room to find Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza as well as sometimes Mirajane or Cana- but it had been silent. It made her sadder than she thought she would be.

Lucy quietly opened the door to her room and shut it before turning on a nearby lamp. The room was only partially illuminated but enough that Lucy could struggle to strip out of her tight formal clothing –damn these things! It was difficult enough to get them off when she _didn’t_ have a broken arm! She really needed some handmaidens- before going into the bathroom to take a relaxing bath. 

Where was Jellal now? What had caused him to be angry enough to hurt his family? Lucy couldn’t understand the betrayal. It was like the man had been possessed. And it hurt. She had thought of Jellal like the elder sibling she never had. Just a few months ago he had helped kidnap her for an impromptu birthday party. He had smiled at her with soft eyes and, in a way, she had a crush on him. She had admired his strength and his kindness. He had been gentle with her where the others could not as she practiced her magic and trained with him.

Lucy finished her bath deciding not to soak and quickly began to dry off. As she dried her hair she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked frankly terrible. Whatever she dreamt of at night woke her up. Her worry gnawed at her stomach making food inedible. Even now her skin seemed sallow and her hair limp despite the volumizing shampoo she used. She closed her eyes and went to go get dressed in a loose nightgown before turning out the light.

It was only as she was crawling into bed that she noticed something was wrong. Her heart leapt in her chest as she realized another person was in her bed. She almost screamed but a sudden suspicion had her instead turning on the lamp on her bedside table. Her throat clenched at the sight of Natsu sleeping soundly in her bed. His head still had gauze around it and his cheek looked swollen but on the verge of healing. There were bags under his eyes. She was half-afraid to see whatever wounds laid beneath the covers.

“Natsu…” She whispered and gently touched his cheek. He didn’t wake. Lucy didn’t even consider trying to kick him out of her bed. This wasn’t the first time he had snuck into it but it was the first time Lucy was honestly happy he was there. It was one thing to hear that her best friend was alive but another to see it for herself. She began to carefully stroke his forehead brushing his unruly hair away from his face.

Natsu’s face scrunched a little and a scratchy voice emitted from his downturn mouth, “T’rn off da ligh’, Luce.” One grey eye peeked out from under his lashes to gaze blearily at her before he closed it again and buried his face further into his pillow. “Let’n out da warmth.” He added as he tugged at the covers.

“What are you even doing here, Natsu?” She asked quietly but agreed to turn off the light. She didn’t move to join him under the covers even though the room was rather chilly. Natsu must have eaten the flame in the fireplace when he showed up at who-knows-when.

“Haven’t seen you in a while.” He said sounding a little more awake but only reluctantly so. His hand jumped out and snatched her wrist, startling her. She could feel his gaze on her.

Lucy was glad for the cover of the darkness. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. I got letters but Momma and Papa haven’t let me out of the castle. They think that Jellal is going to come after me.”

Natsu made a small noise in the back of his throat. “The old man told me. I doubt Jellal will though.” She could still hear the anger burning in his voice. “I beat the shit out of him and he ran off. I don’t think he’ll be back for a while and next time he does I’ll kick his ass again.” He still hadn’t released her wrist.

“You nearly died!” She protested but knew it would do nothing. She couldn’t stop Natsu from fighting if he was really determined. His weighted silence only proved that. She sighed and hesitantly asked. “What about Erza?”

“She’s…not good.” Natsu said quietly. His grip tightened. “She’s really upset.”

“But physically?”

“Healing. She’ll never use her eye again though.”

“Oh no!” Lucy gasped, horrified.

“I should’ve beat him harder!” Natsu growled. Lucy didn’t voice her agreement aloud. She closed her eyes at the fresh pain of his words.

“Natsu, take me with you tomorrow to see her.”

There was a hint of a smile in his voice. “I planned to.”

“Good!”

They were both silent for a stretch of time. If Natsu hadn’t been holding so tightly to her wrist Lucy would’ve been sure he fell asleep. As it was he tugged on it. “Come on, then! I wanna go back to sleep!” He complained. Lucy hesitated and eventually gave up. She shifted down and under the covers and faced towards Natsu. The boy’s breath was a little sour and the heat of it was stronger than even the heat under the covers. His leg touch hers and his hand had shifted down to grip her tightly. Lucy realized then that Natsu had been scared for her too. They hadn’t seen each other since the fight. How worried had he been?

She squeezed his hand and then released it before shifting onto her back. “I don’t know why you like sleeping in my bed so much. You could’ve just come to get me in the morning.” Natsu didn’t respond for a while and Lucy had started to drift off when he moved beside her to sprawl on his back. 

“Smells like you. ‘s nice.” He muttered finally. Lucy couldn’t muster up enough consciousness to respond to that and fell asleep.


End file.
